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If the rope is moved 1 m outwards, how much longer must it be?

A hard-level "Length" problem.The famous result that the answer does not depend on the original radius. Do not rush to a number — factor out what is common and the reason appears.

GivenA rope goes exactly once round a circular flower bed of radius 10 m / π = 3.14

Length ★★★★☆☆ If the rope is moved 1 m outwards, how much longer must it be? 10m 1m ? m

Hints

  1. First, the rope as it is: 10 × 2 × 3.14 = 62.8 m.
  2. Moved outwards, the radius becomes 10 + 1 = 11 m, so the rope is 11 × 2 × 3.14 = 69.08 m.
  3. The difference is 69.08 − 62.8 = 6.28 m. Do not stop here — look at why it came out like that.
  4. Written side by side, the 2 and the 3.14 factor out, leaving only 11 − 10 = 1 — just the width of the shift.
  5. So the answer does not depend on the original size at all. A flower bed of radius 1 m, or the whole Earth — shifting the rope 1 m out always needs just 6.28 m more.

Answer 6.28m

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